Fo’Gate is the new Dalston (!) and only a 15 minute ride away…

We’d love to say ‘you heard it here first. Except you didn’t. Estate agents all over the Far East{london} have been deeming areas ‘the new news’ to turn a profit for years. First Dalston was the New Shoreditch, then Peckham was the new Dalston. Hackney was the new… um, the new… Um. They invented Victoria park village and Wanstead Village and you get the jist. It is no surprise to anyone that Forest Gate (Forest GREAT, OK!) has been on the up list for a while (The Guardian told us so, it must be true) .

Why is it good for us?

This is good news for East Ham for 2 reasons:-

We are ONLY a 15 minute ride away, so for those in need of a pub with a fussball table, some artisan bread or a micro brewery, you can hop on the bus, or your bike and be there in two shakes of a hipsters beard.

We are AT LEAST a 15 minute ride away, so no matter how hipster Fo’Gate gets, it is a long drunken ramble before they find themselves on the beautiful original features of our East Ham doorstep.

Ok, so enough fun poking at Forest Gate. As our next ward neighbours, we actually love all the exciting things that are happening over there so we thought we would give you a round up of the delights of Forest Great. The place to be in E7 is under a railway arch – you will find most of the little gems we listed below near one, from hether it is Avenue Road, or Winchelsea Rd.

1. The Wanstead Tap.

A Craft beer Shop, Cafe, shop and performance space, this bad boy is the Forest Greatest, in East Blams humble opinion… They host Jazz nights and movie screenings, and supper clubs, and sell 100+ types of craft beer. What’s not to like? Find out more here.

2. Coffee 7

An independent coffee shop who serve great cakes, as well as brunch for those of you who DO BRUNCH – check out their excellent and mouth watering Instagram feed here if you are a #nofilter addict. They host yoga classes but the thing we like the most is their support of ‘Suspended Coffee’ where you can put a cup of coffee ‘in the wood’ for someone who needs it later on. It is positively brimming with community spirit and happy vibes and a great place to while away a few hours. Here’s their linky-poo.

3. Woodgrange Market

Every Saturday the Forest Gaters (Greaters? Graters?) and Newhamites gather to buy Artisan bread, Fresh veg and crafty treats (they have a cheese stall, oh yes they do) from locals selling their wares under sunny coloured gazebos. If you pick your day wisely, you might also find a wee bit of live music. No better way to spend a Saturday morning. Here’s their Facebook page.

4. The Forest Tavern

Yummy, and friendly sort of gastro pub, located handily right by the station. Run by Antic Pubs, they are a chain like no other (they have an exclusive beer brewed especially for them). They serve hearty british food (loving their fish finger sandwich – ultimate Saturday comfort food), their fridge is chock full of craft beers and they hold lots of funky fun pop up things – vintage, vinyl et al. Top Marks. Find out more here.

5. The Old Slate Yard

Another one hiding under the railway arches. This time a florist-come-garden centre-come-gift shop-come-reclamation yard. You can find a treasure trove gardening goodies, old slate tiles, chimney pots and bricks in here hiding amongst the flowers. Deets can be found here.

6. Hawkes Cider House

These guys make Craft cider and Stone Baked Pizza. Perfect combo for sitting out on a summer eve, and as it happens, they have a wee courtyard underneath the arches made just for that purpose. We love that the Cider is made in part from local apples! So it is a blend unique to the Far East{london}. YES! Linky here

7. Number 8 Forest Gate

A lovely little vintage crafty emporium that you could spend some time happily rummaging around in. They sell vintage clothes and homewares, records, local crafts among other things. Check them out here.

Hot foot it up to hipsterville for the day.

So there you have it. 7 reasons to hot foot it up to hipsterville for a day trip and support Newhamites by eating Pizza and drinking craft beer or Cider. Believe it or not 2016 has even more in the pipe line for Fo’Gate including Corner Kitchen – a wood fired pizza gaff and The Space East – a new yoga studio opening on 17th Jan and in the summer we highly recommend Wanstead Flats, a great expanse of glorious heathland and a great way to while away a few hours.

Live in Forest Great? Think we missed something? Found an ace spot that you want to shout about? Tell us about it!

Lovely article – We think Forest Gate is awesome and we have been around the neighborhood for a while now ( about 130 years!) so we should know! A local, community focused charity, we run Durning Hall community centre on Earlham Grove as well as the up and coming charity shop on woodgrange road! We love the unique community and charitable spirit which we see everyday in FOREST GREAT!

Check our our website for details on how to get involved and make a change in your local community!

[…] without leaving behind the people who supported it long before estate agents touted it as the new Forest Gate, then we need to get out there and participate. In 2017, lets support our local pubs, shops, […]

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